This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-337989, filed Nov. 29, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reproducing device having a memory, such as a hard disk drive or the like, and a recording medium player, such as a compact-disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD) player. Particularly, the invention relates to a reproduction device that effectively performs a cross-fading operation between data groups.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The current availability of high density and relatively low priced hard disk (HDD) drives has allowed for the utilization of such HDD""s as not only external storage units for personal computers, but also as a storage device for relatively large amounts of audio data. As a result, audio products utilizing HDD""s are becoming more and more common.
For example, recent music editing devices utilize HDD""s for storing digital reproduction audio data (sometimes referred to as voice data) in advance from recording media that are loaded in the editing device. These recording media may be compact discs, for example. These music editing devices allow for reading and reproducing the voice data from the hard disk. According to this type of device, it is not necessary to exchange recording media upon reproduction of the reproduction data from the device. As a result, continuous reproduction can be effectuated in a relatively straightforward manner, although the size of the related devices are enlarged.
In a recording media disc changer provided with an HDD, on the other hand, there has been proposed a reproducing device that operates such that heading voice data corresponding to respective data groups, or data tracks, recorded on a recording medium, such as a compact disc, for example, are recorded in advance in the HDD from the recording medium. Since they are selectively read and reproduced, as an output signal, it is not possible to interrupt the play operation during a disk searching operation or a disc changing operation. Accordingly, the output signal is replaced by the reproduction (voice) data of the corresponding CD when the disc search or changing operation is ended. This reproducing device is disclosed in detail in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 9-134586, for example.
FIG. 12 is a timing chart illustrating the aforementioned control to be made by the aforementioned reproducing device of the prior art. Here will be specifically described one example, in which heading data (A0 to A(nxe2x88x921)) of each song on a CD, for example, is recorded in HDD in advance, and in which one CD is searched from one music track (track a) to another music track (track b), for example.
While the voice data of the CD track a are being reproduced, they are read out at first by a pickup unit 2 (see (c) of FIG. 12), and are written in a buffer memory, from which they are continuously read so that their reproduced sound is outputted from speakers (see (d) and (e) of FIG. 12). In response to an acceptance of a search (disk change) command, the voice data of the heading portion (track bxe2x80x2) of the CD track b are played (See (a) of FIG. 12) from the HDD, so that the voice data read from the HDD are written in the buffer memory. Then, the reading of the voice data, as the reproduced sound of the head of the track b, from the buffer memory is started subsequently. Thus, the voice data read from the buffer memory are continuously outputted (see (b) of FIG. 12).
During this time, a setup for the search action or the disc changing action is performed. After the setup is performed, the process of reading the voice data from track b of the CD by the pickup unit 2 is commenced (See (c) of FIG. 12). As a result, the voice data read through the pickup unit (2) are written in the buffer memory. However, in this step, the voice data from 10 seconds after the start point in the track b are read and written into the buffer memory (See (e), and (g) of FIG. 12). In particular, if the address of the track b at the tenth second is at A9, the voice data at and after the address A10 are read and written. Then, the voice data are continuously read out from the buffer memory like the ordinary play (See (d) of FIG. 12).
Finally, as indicated at (e) of FIG. 12, the reproduction can be continuously made without interrupting the play at the time of the search and the disc exchange by the voice data (track a) from the CD, the header voice data (track bxe2x80x2) from the HDD, and the voice data (track b) from the CD.
Because the above-mentioned prior art merely shortens a time period during which no sound is heard by the user at the time of a disc search or a disc changing operation, a soundless portion will nevertheless still exist between the songs being reproduced. As a result, the user will still hear an unnatural interruption in music and/or data reproduction, for example.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a reproducing device with a cross-fading operation that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
The invention has been conceived in view of the background thus far described, and has an objective to provide a reproducing device with a cross fading operation and an internal memory in order to be enabled to effect a continuous and natural reproduction between arbitrary data groups recorded on a recording medium. The instant invention allows cross-fading between data groups from a recording medium by storing into memory a heading portion of a data group from a recording medium that is to be reproduced following the data group currently being reproduced from the recording medium. The cross-fading operation allows, for example, for trailing information of a data group and heading information of another data group stored in the internal storage to be mixed.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a reproducing device that is able to reproduce audio (voice) data continuously and naturally as a result of the cross-fade operation, so that the data groups, like chapters or songs, are naturally threaded without any interruption, by outputting the heading portion of the next voice data stored in the internal storage, such as the HDD, and the trailing portion of the voice data being reproduced from the recording medium, and by using fading out/in operation.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure and process particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a reproducing device of the present invention includes a memory configured to store at least heading portions of respective data groups from one or more data groups recorded on a recording medium; a reproducing device configured to read at least the heading portions of one or more of the data groups from the recording medium; and a controller configured to control the memory and the reproducing device, and configured to execute a cross-fading operation, in which a portion of at least one of the data groups being reproduced from the memory are cross-faded with a portion of at least one of the data groups being reproduced from the recording medium by the reproducing device.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for continuously outputting data via a reproducing apparatus including storing at least heading portions of respective data groups from one or more data groups recorded on a recording medium into a memory associated with the reproducing apparatus; reproducing at least the heading portions of one or more of the data groups from the recording medium via a reproducing device associated with the reproducing apparatus; and causing a portion of at least one of the data groups stored in the memory to be reproduced from the memory and cross-faded with a portion of at least one of the data groups being reproduced from the recording medium by the reproducing device.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.